Special Event: Smörgåsbord of Solutions: Nordic Ideas for Us

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  Australia could learn much from Nordic nations’ blend of equity, efficiency, and trust. Their universal childcare and parental leave boost gender equality and workforce participation. Education systems prioritise equity over competition. Renewable energy leadership, especially Denmark’s wind and Sweden’s carbon pricing, shows climate pr

  Australia could learn much from Nordic nations’ blend of equity, efficiency, and trust. Their universal childcare and parental leave boost gender equality and workforce participation. Education systems prioritise equity over competition. Renewable energy leadership, especially Denmark’s wind and Sweden’s carbon pricing, shows climate pragmatism. Strong welfare provision, active labour policies, and housing cooperatives ensure social cohesion. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund demonstrates intergenerational stewardship of natural resources. Importantly, Nordic governance relies on high transparency, low corruption, and community trust in public institutions:foundations Australia could emulate to tackle inequality, climate transition, and public service reform while strengthening democratic resilience.

Andrew Scott holds the title of Emeritus Professor at Deakin University, Melbourne, bringing to the role a distinguished career in politics, public policy and international comparative analysis.
At Deakin he taught Australian politics, international comparative politics, economic and social policy, and political history.

Scott is known fo

Andrew Scott holds the title of Emeritus Professor at Deakin University, Melbourne, bringing to the role a distinguished career in politics, public policy and international comparative analysis.
At Deakin he taught Australian politics, international comparative politics, economic and social policy, and political history.

Scott is known for his work on how English‐speaking nations can learn from the policy achievements of the Nordic European countries. 

From 2018 to 2023 he was the inaugural Convenor of the Nordic Policy Centre at The Australia Institute, a role that reflected his interest in translating Nordic model insights into Australian policy contexts. 

He is the author and editor of multiple books; for example his co-edited volume The Nordic Edge: Policy Possibilities for Australia explores how Australia might learn from Nordic governance and social systems.